Kuala lumpur: Bursa Malaysia's benchmark index saw an increase during the morning trading session, aligning with the positive performance of regional markets, despite prevailing cautious sentiment due to developments in the Strait of Hormuz. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) climbed 5.11 points, or 0.30 per cent, reaching 1,700.32 from the previous Friday's close of 1,695.21.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the FBM KLCI, which initially opened 1.71 points lower at 1,693.50, fluctuated between 1,689.00 and 1,703.64 throughout the morning session. Despite the upward trend, market breadth was negative, with 604 decliners outnumbering 418 gainers, while 530 counters remained unchanged, 1,206 untraded, and 24 were suspended. The turnover was recorded at 1.75 billion units worth RM1.33 billion.
In terms of regional performance, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index increased by 0.83 per cent to 26,376.98, South Korea's Kospi Index rose by 1.02 per cent to 6,255.20, Japan's Nikkei 225 Index gained 0.72 per cent to 58,899.49, and Indonesia's IDX Composite Index edged up by 0.02 per cent to 7,635.41.
Among the heavyweights, Maybank saw a rise of 12 sen to RM11.22, Public Bank increased by one sen to RM4.69, CIMB Group grew by 13 sen to RM7.60, and IHH Healthcare inched up by two sen to RM8.75, whereas Tenaga Nasional decreased by two sen to RM14.30.
The most actively traded stocks included Zetrix AI, which increased by half a sen to 84 sen, Inari, which rose by seven sen to RM1.72, and Sunway Healthcare, which gained five sen to RM1.89. Conversely, AirAsia X fell by three sen to RM1.30, and Empire Premium Food decreased by one sen to RM1.03.
Among the top gainers were Fraser and Neave, advancing by 42 sen to RM31.42, Hong Leong Industries, which surged by 28 sen to RM17.58, Hong Leong Bank, which increased by 18 sen to RM22.40, Petronas Gas, which strengthened by 16 sen to RM18.18, and Dutch Lady, which improved by 12 sen to RM32.38.
On the other hand, top losers included Nestle, which fell by RM1.38 to RM97.62, United Plantations, which declined by 56 sen to RM33.62, Petronas Dagangan, which dropped by 46 sen to RM20.12, Petronas Chemicals, which slid by 20 sen to RM5.37, and UMS Integration, which lost 19 sen to RM5.91.
The index board reflected a mix of performances, with the FBM Top 100 Index rising by 27.71 points to 12,378.92, the FBM Emas Index increasing by 22.31 points to 12,540.48, the FBM Mid 70 Index slightly decreasing by 1.07 points to 17,722.66, the FBM Emas Shariah Index easing by 11.99 points to 12,436.07, and the FBM ACE Index trimming by 18.16 points to 4,581.49.
Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index saw an addition of 147.58 points to 19,962.25, the Industrial Products and Services Index reduced by 1.38 points to 186.66, the Energy Index gave up 9.66 points to 806.11, and the Plantation Index retreated by 27.23 points to 8,901.43.